Finger guard for die-stamping presses



April 1929- 1 B; ROUSSEAU 1,707,321

FINGER GUARD FO R DIE STAMPING PRESSES Filed Sept. 28, 1926 5 Sheets- Sheet 1 U1 i Imrmmm l ll! INVENTOI? WIT/V555 EY April 2, 1929; B. ROUSSEAU 1,707,321

FINGER GUARD FOR DIE STAMPING PRESSES Filed Sept. 28; 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 WW A W/ T/VESS 6) AprilZ, 1-929. B. ROUSSEAU 1,707,321

FINGER GUARD FOR DIE STAMPING FRESSBS Filed Se t. 28, 1926 a Sheets-Sheet 5 I/Vl/E/VTOR A h fierrzazflfiusseaw WITNESS I 5y A TTOR/VEY Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

BERNARD ROUSSEAU, F ELlllIIRA, NEW YORK.

FINGER GUARD FOR DIE-STAMPING PRESSES.

Application filed September 28, 1926. Serial No. 138,283.

My invention relates to a safety device, for use with hand fed andusually powerdriven die-printing presses and the like, to prevent accidents to the hands and fingers of an operator during hand-feeding.

An object of my invention is to automatically swing a flap outwardly from between the jaws of a press as the jaws are closing so as to push any inserted hand or fingers from between the closing jaws, making 1t impossible for a feeders hand or fingers to be caught between the closing jaws.

A further purpose is to support one side of a safety flap so thatthe other side thereof is adapted to swing inwardly or outwardly between the jaws of a press according as the jaws are opening or closing, and to resiliently press the flap toward swinging 1nwardly between the j aws.

A further purpose is to pivot a resiliently closet flap in front of the movable jaw of a press and to angularly position the flap by its resilient engagement with the movable jaw. I prefer to use a loose pivot.

A further purpose is to pivotally mount a flap adapted to angular positioning inwardly and outwardly between the jaws of a press upon one side of a link pivotally carried near its other end by the movable jaw and to support the mount from moving bodily with the jaw.

Further purposes will appear in the specilication and in the claims. 1

I show two only of many practical and efficient forms of my invention. and have made the selection primarily with a view to will illustrating the principles involved.

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating my invention applied to one tyj'ie of p0wor-driven, diestamping press, the counter block being in raised position, preparatory to the hand insertion of a card for printing.

Figure 2 is a view generally corresponding to Figure 1, but "with the press in print- .ing position, with a card in place and the safety flap in position to have prevented the possibility of a feeders fingers having been caught between ,the counter blockand block. a

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the safety mechanism illustrated in Figures 1 illustrating my invention applied to the same pair of co-operating blocks that are adapted to open and close, Figure 5 showing blocks open, Figure 6 the blocks partly closed, and Figure 7 the blocks altogether closed.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all the figures.

Describing in illustration, and not in limitation, and referring to the drawings,

While my inventionis well adapted to use with many kinds of presses, it is particularly well suited to use with power driven embossing and die-stamping presses, and I illustrate it in Figures 1 to 4 as applied to one well-known type of powerdriven die-stamping press.

The operation of the die-stamping press illustrated is well understood and normally as follows:

Power is applied to the drivingshaft 10 in any suitable wa (not shown).

The driving sha t is mounted in stationary supporting structure 11 of the press and carries at or near its opposite ends eccentrics 12 (one only appearing in the figures) upon opposite sides of the press, which ver ticallyieciprocate the pressure rods 13 (of which one only is shown) to reciprocate the headpiece or plunger 14. Theplunger l4 vertically 'reciprocates in a guideway 15 within the stationary frame structure, and carries at its lower end a horizontal track or slideway 16, along'whieh an upper toggle member 17 is horizontally positioned by a rocker arm 18. p

The vertically reciprocating member of the press is composite and includes the plungtu- 14:, the upper toggle member 17 that moves back and forth along its horizontal slideway, the counter block 20 and the knuckle link 21 between the counter-block and upper toggle member.

The rocker arm 18 is pivotally supported at 22 to the stationary frame structure, has pin and slot connection at 23 with the upper toggle member, and is angularly connected and operated by a link 24 which is pivotally connected at 25 to the outer end of a lever 26.

The lever 26 is pivoted at 27 to the frame structure and carries a roller 28 adapted to engage the outer surface of a cam 29 mounted upon the shaft 10. It has a depression 30.

The roller is held against the cam by gravity. I have diagrammatically illus trated this pressure by a spring 31, anchored at 32 to the {frame structure gandnt .33 #to the After the driving shaft has rotated sulficiently' to bring the depression 30 of the cam 29 to the roller 28, the lever 26 swings clockwise onits' pivot 27 under the action of the spring 31 or weight to maintain the roller in contact with the cam and in swinging moves the link 24 downwardly and the rocker arm 18in clockwise direction to move the-upper togglemem'ber 17 to the right.

This motionof the upper toggle member to the right gradually straightens the toggle connection between the upper member 17 and the counter block 20, the toggle being straight during each impression. It will be seen. thatthe range of motion of'the counter bloc'k is greaterthan that of the head 14 by reason of the'hori'zon'tal movement of the upper toggle'member 17.

The downward motion of the counterblock is thus due to the vertical motion of the head piece or plunger combined with that due to the straightening of the toggle. The final movement of thecounterblock, to give the impression, is caused by the continuing movement of eccentrics 12, through pressure rods 13 and theknuckle link '21. The latter seats at its ends in sockets 35'.

On the upward stroke of the press the upper toggle member is moved to the left outof line with the counterblock by the rollor being moved outwardly by the wall of the depression 30 of the cam and the eccentric gradually lifts the parts still further.

. ator removes the sheet. and puts another to place for the next impression'before or during the succeeding down stroke.

In the past, it has sometimes happened that an operators fingers are caught beneath the counter block on the descending .St ke and it is to make this .impossiblefthat my device is applied to the machine.

My device as'illustrated,"(Figures 1 to comprises a flap 40 which is loosely and vertical motion. As shown, its opposite ends are pivotally supported on the outer ends of links 42 and -13 that are in turn pivotal'ly carried at 44 upon the counterblock 20.

The flap is pressed at opposite ends by springs 4L5 so as to tend to swing beneath the counterblock. These springs are alike, each being connected at one end to the link 12 or 43 and at the other end to the flap.

The springs are in effect anchored to the counterblock in that the link is carried by the counterblock. It makes little difference whether the anchorage is made to the link or to the counterblock but I prefer anchoring themto the link as shown.

I show the pivot as vertically supported chain 46 from a stationary projection 17 upon the frame work of the machine.

When the counterblock moves down from the position shown in Figure 1, the pivot 41 is unable to move down because of the support given by the chain 46. As a resuit, the front edge 48 of the counterblock slides down along the inner face it) oi the flap, swinging the flap on its pivot. The pivot does not have any consideinblc movement. due to movement of the links 42 and 43 as the counterblock goes down. A little play may be permitted by looscness or connections.

The swinging of the flap about the pivot 41 byreason of the engagement between the edge of the counterblock and the inner face of the flap pushes back from danger any hand or fingers inserted beneath the block thuspreventing danger of injury.

The toe 50 of the flap may engage the card or other stock before the counter block has made an impression and in this event it will slide outwardly along the card or stock during the impression while slightly lifting the pivot 421 by correspondingly swinging upwardly the links 42 and 43 and loosening the chain 46.

\Vhcn in the position of impression, as shown in Figure 2, there is considerable tendency for the flap to maintain its ongagement wit-h the front of the block and not to move down with respect to the block as the block rises, to go back'to position under the counterblock when the counterblock is raised. To avoid this danger a spring 51 carried on the block, spring-presses the link at 52, the spring being of sufiicient strength to insure proper relative downward movement of the flap when the counterblock moves up.

In Figures 5 to 7 I show the invention in its broad application to any jaws or blocks 53 andbt, one of which is movable and the other stationary. The flap 55 is loosely There is a slight lateral displacement J Ell) lllll pivoted at 56 and spring-pressed so as to tend to swin into engagement with the movable block 57..

While the spring pressure maintaining engagement between the flap and the block or j aw can be effected conveniently by other n'ieans I show it as eliected by a tension spring 58 anchored between the block or jaw at 59 and the flap at 60.

As the movable block reciprocates 'iil ore is a corresponding reciprocating swinging back and forth. of the flap, which niaintains continual resilient engagement between the flap and the block.

In the position shown in Figure in which the block 53 is all the way up the spring is pulling the iiap into the bottom. of the block while in. the position shown in i igure in which the block is down to the counter-block 54, it is pulling the flap into the side of the block.

The flap is anchored at its pivot from moving upwardly when the block n'ioves upwardly so that there is no necessity for a spring corresponding to the spring 51 of Figures 1 and 2 to insure downward inc-- tion of the flap with respect to the block as the block inoves upwardly.

In the structure of Figures 1 and 2 the spring 51 will be unnecessary if the pivot at 41 be supported in any suitable way against upward motion.

In operation the flap swings in andout with the rise and fall of movable block, lying up out oi the way when the block in high position so as not to interfere with the feeding operation and swinging downwardly during each descent of the block, sweeping away from danger any hand or lingers inadvertently beneath the block.

In view of my invention and disclosure mriations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubt lea-s become evident to others skilled in the art, and I claim all. such in so far as they tall within. the reasonable spiritainl scope oi? my claims.

l-la'ving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a press having a pair of cooperating blocks one of which is movable and adapted to open and close toward the other, safety device comprising a flap that is adapted to swing between the blocks when the movable block open and to sweep back along the surface of the other block as the block closes, a pivotal support for the flap having vertical play and a spring adapted to press the flap into engagement with the movable block.

2. In a press l'iaving a pair of cooperating blocks one of which movable and adapted to open and close toward the other, a safety device comprising arms pivotally su 'iported upon opposite sides of the movable block and extending generally forwardly to seinewhat beyond the front of the block, iiap having opposite ends of one side pivotally supported upon the respective arms and adapted to swing its other side between the blocks when the movable block is raised, means preventing material vertical move ment of the pivot support of the llap and aspring pressing the fiap to move between the blocks as the movable block rises.

8. In a press having a pair of cooperating blocks one of which is movable and adapted to open and close toward the other, a safety device comprising arms pivotally supported upon opposite sides of the movable block and extending laterally to somewhatbeyond the front of the block, a flap having one side pivotally supported. at opposite ends upon the respective arms and the other side adapted to swing on the pivot to position between the blocks when the movable block open, a spring adapted to main-- tain resilient contact between the flap and the movable block, a flexible support limit ingthe downward. position oi? the pivot and a second spring adapted to resiliently press the arn'ls downwardly to prevent material. motion of the pivot of the flap during up- '\var( i. movement oi. the block.

liEltNAltl) RUU SSEAU. 

